In
October, 2003.
LP News
ran an article by a member of the
Platform Committee stating that "...Murray Rothbard opposed
advocating a tax break because it means you approve of taxes; yet
he recognized the wisdom of accepting one, if only as a step along
the way." Longtime LP member Scott Olmsted was dismayed. Rothbard
said no such thing. Olmsted wondered: is this what the LP has come
to? How can the strategic insights of Rothbard have disappeared
down the memory hole in less than two decades?

About
the same time, a prominent but new member of the LP declared his
candidacy for a federal office. Within his positions on his web
site were proposals to tax legalized marijuana, as well as have
government tightly control its distribution. These are steps backward,
as Rothbard, whom Olmsted knew personally, explained long ago, and
they do not belong in the positions of any Libertarian candidate.

In
February, 2004 Olmsted decided to revive the Libertarian Party Radical
Caucus, which was last active in 1984. But the initial response
made it clear that the name of the Radical Caucus carries its own
baggage, so in April, 2004 Olmsted decided to create an entirely
new caucus. He chose to use Rothbard's name so that the caucus could
focus on bringing attention to Rothbard's works on strategy and
issues while promoting a politically radical and strategically centrist
point of view within the Party.

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Copyright 2004-2012 Libertarian Party Rothbard Caucus. May be reprinted with proper
attribution.